Washington, D.C. (December 17, 2007) —A new report released by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that injury death rates nationally rose more than 5 percent after a two-decade period of decline.
The findings in the December 14, 2007 report, Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report, indicate the largest increases in injury death were in the 20-29 year age group, which had an 8 percent increase, and the 45-54 year age group, which had a 25 percent increase. The significant increase demonstrates the need for more information on how to prevent violent deaths, including injury death, which could be provided by the National
Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
“NVDRS compiles critical data about violent deaths into a central database, and its full implementation in all 50 states must be a priority as we work to prevent violent death,” said Michael Parkinson, M.D., president of the American College of Preventive Medicine, and a member of the National Violence Prevention Network. “Through NVDRS, we can capture data that is critical to identifying patterns and developing strategies that will save lives.”
NVDRS, which is currently operational in 17 states, is a comprehensive, linked reporting system that collects and centralizes information on violent deaths, including suicides, from a variety of sources to create a clearer picture of the circumstances and to aid violent death prevention efforts. The program is designed to:
- Collect and link data about all violent deaths, including all homicides and suicides;
- Collect and link data at the state level, with funding and coordination provided at the national level, by the CDC;
- Compile and combine data from medical examiners, coroners, death certificates, crime labs, and law enforcement officers, providing a more complete understanding of when, where, and how violent deaths occur; and
- Include timely information on the circumstances of the deaths and the relationship between victims and offenders. To protect confidentiality, names and personal identifiers are not part of the national dataset.
Examples of how some states are using statistical data from NVDRS to develop prevention techniques include:
- In Virginia, NVDRS officials have joined several statewide task forces to evaluate the efficacy of Virginia law and policy in the area of family violence and to develop a primary prevention plan for reducing domestic violence. NVDRS data will assist in describing Virginia populations at risk for fatal domestic violence and in crafting recommendations to reduce this violence.
- Among the early findings of NVDRS data in Alaska is the high risk for suicide among victims of domestic violence. As such, Alaska’s researchers and injury prevention specialists are focusing their attention on prevention strategies for victims of domestic violence.
- In Colorado, a review of NVDRS data found that the most frequently noted occupation of suicide victims was construction. The NVDRS data can now provide guidance on ways to reach a significant number of potential victims: suicide prevention education programs undertaken by labor unions and construction employers.
The National Violence Prevention Network (www.preventviolence.net) is working to fully implement NVDRS in the United States to enable every state to design and implement effective violent death prevention programs. While state-specific information provides enormous value to local public health and law enforcement officials, national data from all 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, must be obtained to complete the picture and establish effective national suicide prevention policies and programs.
View the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report at: http://www.preventviolence.net/pdf/MMWR_injury_mortality.pdf
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